


In a Mirror, Darkly

by homicidalbrunette



Series: Double Trouble [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bad Boy!Mike, Bizarre Love Triangle, Doppelganger, Enemies to Lovers, Evil Doppelgangers, Evil!Mike, F/M, Just set in 2018, Love/Hate, Post Season 2, Relationship Conflict, The Party aged up to 20 yrs old, The Upside Down, Upside Down AU, and back again
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-06-21 11:30:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15556737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homicidalbrunette/pseuds/homicidalbrunette
Summary: MIKESo what – you think you’re just going to walk over there and get her? This is a stupid idea and it’s going to get you killed!El flinches. Mike is the last person she expected to call her stupid. She starts to move past him, reaching for the door.MIKEFine. If you’re going to go, then I’m going with you. I can help.ELBy doing what? By throwing a candlestick at them?MIKEAnd what are you doing, El? Handing yourself over on a silver platter? How is that any better? This guy got impaled in the ribs and he walked away. I don’t think you get how dangerous and dumb this is -ELNo, YOU don’t get it. You think by being there you’re helping me? You just put yourself in danger and I don’t have time to look out for you, too!Mike is taken aback.El(her voice is a warning)For the last time, Mike. Get out of the way.-------------------....In which the Upside Down "reflections" of Mike, Lucas, Max, and Dustin come to Hawkins to play. [CHAPTER 4 WRITTEN IN SCRIPT FORMAT 'CAUSE I FELT LIKE IT]





	1. Through the Looking Glass

**Author's Note:**

> The Upside Down Party:
> 
> Eleven - Upside Down El. She has the same powers as El (telekinesis), but is more powerful than El, because she’s had more practice and training. Every dark impulse El has, Eleven acts on. 
> 
> Twelve - Upside Down Mike. Normal Mike is unathletic, tends to be neurotic and worry a lot, and can come off as awkward and uncool. Twelve has super strength, never gets nervous, and is in general extremely charismatic.
> 
> Thirteen - Upside Down Will. Normal Will has been fairly traumatized by the events depicted in the show. He is also portrayed as the kindest and sweetest of the group, if not the most timid. Thirteen is the most fearless and the most ruthless of the lab kids. He is a borderline sociopath and thrives on fear and domination of others. He is the Party’s leader, and they both admire and fear him. He has the ability to control minds (kind of like the Mindflayer did). 
> 
> Fourteen - Upside Down Lucas. Normal Lucas can be a bit of a hot-head and has been shown to butt heads on occasion with other Party members. Fourteen is the peacekeeper of the group. He rarely lets emotion get the best of him, to the point of being unfeeling and uncaring. He has the ability to heal himself and others. 
> 
> Fifteen – Upside Down Max. She has a powerful psychic connection with each member of the Party. She is able to sense where they are, see through their eyes, track their locations, and know whatever information they do. She has a similar psychic connection to the Party’s Real World counterparts. 
> 
> Sixteen – Upside Down Dustin. He has the ability to create and manipulate supersonic sound waves to attack and disorient.
> 
> Based on a fan theory on my tumblr @zerodoubleone  
> https://zerodoubleone.tumblr.com/post/176501361999/the-upside-down-party-picspam-we-all-know-the

**Prologue**  

Upside Down Timeline

1944 – The U.S. government creates Project MKUltra, based in Hawkins, Indiana, to help with the war effort and fight Nazis. The top-secret project is dedicated to researching and creating super soldiers and weapons of mass destruction designed to bolster the government’s military power.

1969 – Project MKUltra continues to record stunning military advancement and success. With the Vietnam War at its height, the U.S. government allots it full control and resources of the Department of Defense.

1980 – MKUltra have taken over most branches of the U.S. government, growing more powerful each day. Military weaponry and technology, including the research and creation of super-soldiers and bio-organic weapons, continue unabated.

1985 – MKUltra creates its first successful super-soldier: One.

1990 – MKUltra creates its first successful bio-organic weapon: the Demogorgen.

1998 – MKUltra mandates that all children born in 1998 in Hawkins must be given over to the project as test subjects. Super-soldiers Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen and Sixteen are born in the lab.

August 4th, 2011 – Core meltdown at MKUltra headquarters. Critical loss of control of all bio-organic weapons. Bio-organic weapons over-run MKUltra headquarters. All personnel dead. Headquarters burned to ground. Super-soldiers missing.

2012 – Bio-organic weapons overrun the rest of the United States. Collapse of total societal structure in the Western hemisphere.  

2013 – Collapse of total societal structure on Earth.

June 2018 – The Upside Down Party have not eaten for days. Resources run scarce. Thirteen sends Eleven on a mission to the abandoned Hawkins Middle school to scavenge. There, she is attacked by a Demogorgon and falls into a portal inadvertently created by her Real World counterpart, El Hopper. 

Meanwhile in the Upside Down, the Party go looking for their missing Eleven….

_\--------_

_The Upside Down, June 2018:_

It had been days since anyone had heard from Eleven. Twelve hadn’t been too worried, not at first. Shit happened. Sometimes one of the Party would go MIA for days, weeks even. But Fifteen would always be able to sense them, no matter how far off they’d gone. But this time, nothing. 

“It’s almost like the connection has been severed,” Fifteen had said, “I can’t feel her anymore. She’s gone.”

He knew it was serious when Thirteen started getting concerned. Well, not exactly concerned. It wasn’t like Thirteen was up at night, tossing and turning with worry over whether Eleven was safe. But she was an asset. And aside from Thirteen himself, she was their most powerful one. And Thirteen hated losing valuable assets. 

He had forced the rest of the Party out, to retrace her steps. Twelve was happy to be out again, on a mission. And yeah, he wanted to find Eleven again. Figure out what had happened to her. She was his favorite, after all. No one could quite get under his skin like she did, and he under hers.

They had retraced her steps as far back as the old abandoned middle school when Fifteen stopped in front of what appeared to be a random wall.

“Here. She went here.”

Twelve rolled his eyes. “Yeah, she went into a fucking wall. You’re really on your A-game today, Fifteen.”

“Twelve,” Fourteen’s even tone nevertheless conveyed a warning. He was ever the ice to Twelve’s fire. “Fifteen knows what she’s doing. Sometimes things aren’t what they seem.”

Twelve looked at Fifteen, still skeptical. The redhead had her eyes closed now, and he knew she wasn’t just off in her own head, she was _everywhere_. She was with Eleven, with her in the moments she had been wandering these very halls. Suddenly, Fifteen’s ice-blue eyes popped open.

“A portal. She went through a portal. There was a…a demogorgen. Surprised her. Attacked her. They both fell through here,” she placed her palm flat against the smooth surface of the wall in front of her.  

“Great,” Twelve shrugged, “Except now it’s just a fucking wall. Now what?”

“We open up another one, dumbass,” Sixteen quipped. He was still pining after Fifteen after all these years, Twelve knew. Pathetic.

“And how are we supposed to do that, handsome?” Twelve sneered. “It’s not like its easy. Eleven was the one who had the most training with that shit.”

 “We all do it. Together,” Fourteen announced. He never spoke much, which seemed to add gravitas to whatever he said when he did talk. “We all know how, maybe not as well as Eleven, but if we do it together, all at the same time, we can get one up.”

There was a pause as the Party contemplated just what that meant. Not just opening a portal. A whole new world. The mythical Upside Down and whatever fuckery was in store for them there.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Twelve already had his hands up, _pushing_ with his mind against the wall, as he had been taught to all those years ago. He was never one for patience. “Let’s go.”

-

It was a strange feeling, emerging back at the very spot that they had just left. But Twelve knew that was just a trick of the mind. This wasn’t the same middle school that they had come from. Not by a long shot.

They made their way out of the school and into the rest of the Upside Down wearily. Who knew what sort of fucked-up things they had around here? Maybe even ones _they_ weren’t prepared for, maybe fire-breathing dragons or some crazy shit like that –

“Watch where you’re fucking going, asshole!” A car, a _working car_ , slammed on its brakes, within a hair’s breadth of Twelve and the rest of the Party. An electric light at the other end of the crosswalk was blinking NO WALKING at them, but they hadn’t seen a car for years, let alone stop for one. 

The initial feeling of shock wore off and was quickly replaced by anger, a much more familiar feeling for Twelve. Instinctively, he made to move after the car, but it had already sped off.

Behind him, everyone started speaking at once.

“Oh my God, that was a car –”

“Twelve, we don’t have time for your petty bullshit –”

“The street lights, they work –” 

“Everyone, shut the fuck up,” With Thirteen and Eleven out of commission, he was the de-facto leader now. He turned to Fifteen, “Tell us where the hell we are.”

-

“This place….this place is clean.” Fifteen’s irises flashed white under the shade of the _living_ tree. Fourteen had guided them towards the woods, where they would be secluded from the….people of this world, to get their bearings and strategize. Once on the other side, her connection to Eleven had re-activated powerfully and Twelve knew that she was seeing out of Eleven’s eyes as she spoke each word.

“August 4th….never happened,” Fifteen’s face didn’t change, still deep in the vision, but Twelve’s stunned face was reflected on both Fourteen’s and Sixteen’s. They sat silently, processing just what that meant. No outbreak. No monsters. The world as it was.

“She…she got in trouble...” Fifteen continued, “She tried to make another portal. At the lab…it didn’t work, it –” Fifteen suddenly stopped, her eyes wide. She breathed a single word. “Eight.”

Twelve’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Eight?” Eight was dead. They all knew that, were all there when she had died.

Fifteen nodded, “Yes. Eight. Or-or someone who looks very much like her. She hurt Eleven, she – ah!” Fifteen grabbed her head in pain, her connection broken. Sixteen reached out an arm to steady her.

“I’m, I’m fine…” Fifteen looked up at the rest of the Party, still holding her head, “Eight,” she said again, with certainty in her voice, “Eight _hurt_ her. We find Eight. We find Eleven.”

-

“Kali, don’t do this.” El was at the bus stop. It was the same one from her first journey to Chicago, all those years ago. “Please stay.”

Her sister’s deep-brown eyes were unreadable. “This isn’t my home, Jane. It’s yours. I need to go back to mine.”

“So that’s it?” El tried to laugh, tried to make it a joke. “You just show up once every couple of years to save me?”

“She’s dead, Jane. It’s over,” Kali sounded so sure. El could still hardly believe it. Only hours ago, she had been stuck wandering the Upside Down, alone, hungry, and fearing for her life. When she had first spotted Mike at the end of the hall, she thought it was a trick. Some sort of Upside Down monster, disguised as him 

“Mike? Are you…are you really Mike?” She had asked him to prove it. “November 6th,” she had asked, “What happened on November 6th?”

He had smiled faintly and said, “That was the day I found you. The best day of my life.”

After that, they had run together, hands grasped tightly, towards the rapidly closing portal, towards their world. Towards home. When she finally fell forward to the other side, to the _real_ world, she had found Kali there. Kali, who had kept the portal open for her and Mike, despite the great pain it had caused her. Kali, who had sensed that something was very wrong, that El had _needed_ her, and who had returned to the lab for her, a place El knew she never wanted to see again. And Kali, who had killed for her. El shuddered at the image of her own face staring back at her, blood and brain matter seeping from her skull to the floor. 

El returned Kali’s hug, holding on tight. “What if - what if more of those _things_ are out there?” she asked, still shaken. “What if it’s not safe?”

“Then I’ll come again, Jane. And we’ll deal with them. I’ll always have your back.” Kali smiled, a rare sight. “That’s what sisters are for.”

El returned the smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. But this was Kali’s decision, not hers. El took a deep breath, nodding. “Goodbye, Kali.”

El watched her walk off towards the line of buses marked CHICAGO-BOUND before herself turning towards the direction of home.

She heard his voice before she saw the bus.  

“Heads up, Eight!”

 -

Fifteen had said she would be here.

Just like with Eleven, her connection with Eight had re-activated once they were in this world.

“Bus stop. Chicago-bound,” the white disappeared from Fifteen’s eyes, signaling the end of the vision. “She’ll be at the Hawkins bus stop tonight. Her and Eleven.”

Of course, the others had wanted to wait, to form some sort of plan. _Fuck that._ Life was too short for plans. Most people Twelve knew were dead by 20, and Brenner had certainly never intended for any of _them_ to live this long.

So, he had taken off on his own. The bus depot wasn’t hard to find. Everything in this world was a mirror reflection of their own, and so it had been in the exact same spot it always was. Only instead of being an abandoned cesspool full of blood-thirsty predators, it was up and running, shuttling hundreds of weak, pink human passengers back-and-forth between the still-bustling cities of America.

And Fifteen was right, just as she always was. He saw them there. He saw _her_ there. Eleven.

She was deep in conversation with Eight, and he watched in confusion and mild revulsion as she pulled Eight into a _hug._ Eleven had always been more inclined to public displays of inflicting pain rather than affection. It was one of the things he liked about her. This world must have really started to fuck her up. It was a good thing he was finally here then, to take her back to Thirteen.

Eight though. That was a trickier proposition. He didn’t know what she was doing here in this world, how she was even still _alive_ , but he wasn’t going to overthink things. That was Thirteen’s job. Besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t see strange shit every day.

It looked like Eleven and Eight were on friendly terms now, but Twelve knew from experience it was a bad mistake to trust Eight. She had been the most manipulative of them all. Her powers didn’t do much, not like the rest of them, and so she had to rely mostly on tricks and lies. And all he knew right now was that Eight was no good. Fifteen had said as much, according to her vision. And her visions never lied.

He waited until Eleven had walked safely out of range before picking up the empty bus next to him and lifting it over his head. Its display flashed INDIANAPOLIS-BOUND. Well, it was bound for Eight’s face now.

“Heads up, Eight!” That was the only warning he cared to give.

He sent the bus hurtling through the air, aimed directly for Eight. It would be a good hit too, nice and clean, probably instantly killing her. Thirteen would’ve been happy with him.

He saw Eight throw her arms up in front of her helplessly, and felt pleased that he had clearly caught her off guard. But instead of the satisfying _crunch_ of steel on bone, he heard…nothing.

The bus was suspended in mid-air, inches from Eight’s cowering figure.   

“Aw, come on!” Twelve was disappointed. Eleven had ruined a perfectly good shot. Her arm was raised towards the bus, keeping it afloat. Around them, people started to run and scream, scattering like the vermin they were. He grinned. He had really missed mass terror and chaos.

“Babe! It’s me!”

Eleven hadn’t noticed him until then, her eyes focused intensely on only the bus in front of Eight. Twelve had seen her throw half a building at someone once, but she looked like she was struggling now with just the bus, like it was hard or something.

Her eyes darted to Twelve and widened in what looked like shock. The bus in front of Eight dropped like dead weight, nosily and unceremoniously cracking open on the pavement.

Eight looked back and forth between Eleven, him, and then Eleven again. “Jane, we have to go.”

For a moment Eleven just stood there, staring at him, looking stunned. Then she seemed to register Eight’s words, “Run, Jane! Run!”

“Hey, babe? Where you going?” Twelve called after their receding figures, more curious than anything. He felt a curl of excitement deep in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t know what that _Jane_ shit was about, but he didn’t really care. She could play this little game right now if she wanted to. He really hadn’t had this much of a good time in months.

He let them run. He didn’t mind chasing.

 


	2. Double Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _El moved through the street quickly, maneuvering around and overtaking other pedestrians. She wasn’t there to run errands, or shop, or have fun; she had to get to Mike, as quickly as possible._
> 
> _Turning sharply on her heels, she rounded the corner….and collided violently with Mike._
> 
> _"Hey, um, you know, I’m new in town and well…I was kinda hoping you’d show me around?” he grinned at her, in what anyone else would think was a charming and boyish way. But it wasn’t. And he wasn’t Mike._
> 
> \-------------------
> 
> ....In which the Upside Down "reflections" of Mike, Lucas, Max, and Dustin come to Hawkins to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Upside Down Party:
> 
> Eleven - Upside Down El. She has the same powers as El (telekinesis), but is more powerful than El, because she’s had more practice and training. Every dark impulse El has, Eleven acts on.
> 
> Twelve - Upside Down Mike. Normal Mike is unathletic, tends to be neurotic and worry a lot, and can come off as awkward and uncool. Twelve has super strength, never gets nervous, and is in general extremely charismatic.
> 
> Thirteen - Upside Down Will. Normal Will has been fairly traumatized by the events depicted in the show. He is also portrayed as the kindest and sweetest of the group, if not the most timid. Thirteen is the most fearless and the most ruthless of the lab kids. He is a borderline sociopath and thrives on fear and domination of others. He is the Party’s leader, and they both admire and fear him. He has the ability to control minds (kind of like the Mindflayer did).
> 
> Fourteen - Upside Down Lucas. Normal Lucas can be a bit of a hot-head and has been shown to butt heads on occasion with other Party members. Fourteen is the peacekeeper of the group. He rarely lets emotion get the best of him, to the point of being unfeeling and uncaring. He has the ability to heal himself and others.
> 
> Fifteen – Upside Down Max. She has a powerful psychic connection with each member of the Party. She is able to sense where they are, see through their eyes, track their locations, and know whatever information they do. She has a similar psychic connection to the Party’s Real World counterparts.
> 
> Sixteen – Upside Down Dustin. He has the ability to create and manipulate supersonic sound waves to attack and disorient.
> 
> Based on a fan theory on my tumblr @zerodoubleone  
> https://zerodoubleone.tumblr.com/post/176501361999/the-upside-down-party-picspam-we-all-know-the

Kali had said it wasn’t safe to go outside. Not with that… _person_ on the loose. After everything she’d been through, the lab, the Upside Down, demogorgens, and Mindflayers…El didn’t think she could be shaken up by anything anymore. Turns out, she was wrong.   

El had spent nearly three days trapped in the Upside Down. When that was finally over, Mike and Kali had explained to her that the dead girl on the floor, the one who looked exactly like her, had been terrorizing everyone she knew in Hawkins. That she had been some sort of Upside Down version of her. And that there may even be others like her out there, other _numbers_ , and that the girl kept calling Mike _Twelve_ and Will _Thirteen_. 

“They may still come,” Kali had warned, “To look for her.”

And now, no less than 24 hours after _that_ whole ordeal, it seemed that Kali’s prediction had come true.

The bus had come out of nowhere. The boy with Mike’s face and Mike’s voice had emerged soon after. At first El was just confused. What was Mike doing at the bus depot? Had he wanted to say goodbye to Kali, too? But then she had seen the bus, hurtling towards Kali, and El had reacted out of pure instinct.

It hurt. She’d never had to manipulate such a large object before. The only other time had been when Kali taught her how to move that old freight truck. And even then, the truck had been on the ground, and she had only managed to drag it a few feet.  

“Babe! It’s me!” Mike’s voice had shouted at her. She found herself staring into his face, but it was all wrong. Instead of his usual striped shirts and sweaters, he was dressed all in black. And his hair had been curly, not straight. He had the same big brown eyes, but there was nothing in them but violence.

Kali had shouted at her to run, and so they did.   

“Must be Twelve,” Kali had said, as soon as they were safely able to get their bearings.

_Twelve._ That was what the girl had apparently called Mike. No wonder he looked like him. That _was_ Mike, or at least, a version of him.

“He…he threw that bus at you,” El panted, still processing what had happened, “Like it was a toy.”

“Yes,” Kali had said, matter-of-factly, “When Eleven – that _other_ Eleven, had referred to these other numbers, that’s what I feared. They’re like us, Jane. Brenner’s play things. And like us, they are gifted. And dangerous.”

Kali had warned her to lay low, for now. It was clear Twelve believed she was the dead girl, had called out to her as if he knew her (“Babe”, he’d called her. Mike still blushed whenever anyone referred to El has his girlfriend.)

But El couldn’t just lay low. Kali didn’t understand, had always found it easy to cut and run. “The only real family we have is each other, Jane,” she’d said, but El wasn’t so sure. She thought of Hop. She thought of Lucas, Max, Dustin, and Will. She thought of Mike. That was her family, too, and she had to warn them.

She figured Main Street, in the broad light of day, would be okay. Would at least be safer than the route through the woods, from the cabin to Mike’s, which was so isolated and dark. At least here there were plenty of people milling about on the street, going about their daily lives. El envied them.

El moved through the street quickly, maneuvering around and overtaking other pedestrians. She wasn’t there to run errands, or shop, or have fun; she had to get to Mike, as quickly as possible.

Turning sharply on her heels, she rounded the corner….and collided violently with Mike.

“Hey, um, you know, I’m new in town and well…I was kinda hoping you’d show me around?” he grinned at her, in what anyone else would think was a charming and boyish way. But it wasn’t. And he wasn’t Mike.

Before she was even aware of what was happening, he had her backed up against the wall. El realized that to the observers around them, it was simply El Hopper with her boyfriend Mike Wheeler, who was flirting shamelessly with her in front of a crowded building. It was uncharacteristic, but not alarming.

“Get away from me,” she warned under her breath. She didn’t want to cause a scene, couldn’t risk other pedestrians getting hurt, not after the fiasco at the bus depot. El moved to the side, but Twelve put his arms up on both sides of her, locking her in.

“What do you want?” She hissed, looking up at him.

“Only you babe,” he smirked. “This little chase was fun, I’m _so_ glad you thought of it… but it’s time to go home now. Thirteen is getting impatient.” He grabbed her arm and began to drag her along. He was unnaturally strong.

_Fine._ Then she would just have to freeze him. El reached out with her mind, desperately trying to hold him in place.  It would’ve stopped any other person dead in their tracks, but it was only _slowing him down_.

“Babe?” His cheerful demeanor was starting to slip, like a poorly fitted mask, “What are you doing? _Let’s go_.”  

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He stopped walking. At first, El was relieved, until he lifted her up like a rag doll, without warning, and slammed her against the brick wall of a secluded side-street.

“Are we still playing this little game, Eleven?”

“I’m not Eleven! I mean…I-I’m not your Eleven,” she winced. He still had her by the wrists, painfully pinning them to her side.

“Okay, I guess we are,” Twelve nodded pleasantly, “I’ll play along. Who are you, babe?”

El glared up at him, defiant, “I’m El Hopper. I come from _this_ world, and your Eleven is _dead._ There’s nothing for you here. Just – go home!”

“ _El_?” His mouth was twitching. He was _laughing._ “Who came up with that corny ass nickname?” El made to run as he laughed, to twist out of his grip, but he easily yanked her back into place, pinning her there uncomfortably, getting in her face, “You know, Thirteen’s always going on about how _violent_ and _unhinged_ you are, but I always thought your _creativity_ was under-appreciated. Really.”

It was clear she couldn’t physically overpower him, not even when he was distracted. El hated having to use her powers in public, especially after the incident at the bus depot. It had been all over the news, but luckily Mayor Kline had decided to spin it as some sort of freak tornado incident. She didn’t need another reason to be on the Mayor’s radar, but she didn’t see any other way out of it this time.

She jerked her head and Twelve went flying backwards, hitting the opposite wall with a dull thud.

He rose slowly to his feet and her eyes widened. He wasn’t even dazed.

“I still love the violence though!” He had a wild look in his eyes, and a wide grin on his face.

Starting to feel the beginnings of panic, El reached out with her mind and sent a trash can hurtling at him. He swatted it away with an errant hand, not breaking his stride towards her.

“Yes, babe! Again!”  

So, she threw another one at him, and another, and another, but it didn’t matter. It didn’t even slow him down. He reached her again within seconds, grabbing her by the wrists once more.

“Okay, that was fun, but I’m getting kind of a headache now, so _stop,_ ” Twelve’s tone had been playful until that point, but the smile had vanished from his face.

“I’m not your Eleven! She’s _dead._ I’m. Not. Her."  

“This game is getting boring. What? Did you infiltrate some stupid scavenger family? Gotta keep up the ruse so that it’ll be even more fun when you finally kill them?” He snarled, “We don’t have time for this shit. Thirteen’s been on everyone’s ass about you –”

“She’s right, Twelve. It’s not her.”

El looked past Twelve to the source of the voice. Max was standing behind him. No, not Max. This person had referred to him by Twelve, and Max wouldn’t have known to do that.

Twelve glanced over his shoulder at the new person, and slowly began to release his grip on El. She rubbed her wrists painfully where he’d held them; she would likely have bruises later.

“What the hell are you talking about, Fifteen?”

“This girl. She’s…. Eleven. But she’s not _our_ Eleven. I’ll explain later, but we have to go. You’ve made a scene here, Twelve. Again.”

Twelve turned back to her, and for a moment El was afraid he wouldn’t care what _Fifteen_ said, that’d he still try to drag her off to who-knows-where.

But the intense look in his eyes was gone, and he was laughing again, as if it all had been one big joke. “Whatever. See you later, _El,”_ he whispered in her ear. He turned around and within seconds, he and the girl who looked like Max were gone.

-

“What the hell do you mean she’s not our Eleven?” 

Twelve was angry. It was a comfortable and natural feeling, and it was much more preferable for him than….what? _Grief?_ No. Grief meant hurt because you had lost someone you cared about. And Twelve didn’t care about anybody, would _never_ allow himself to care for anybody, not after Brenner ( _Papa,_ some small part of him said), not after the Outbreak, not even for Eleven. 

“My visions….I didn’t get it at first. Eight was dead, but as soon as we came here, the connection re-activated. And same with Eleven…I just thought, they must’ve both been alive still, just trapped over here. But I was wrong,” Fifteen paused and Twelve rolled his eyes.

“And? Get on with it, drama queen.”

Fifteen glared at him, and so did Fourteen and Sixteen for that matter, but she continued, “We have Upside Down versions of ourselves in this world.”

Fourteen and Sixteen looked appropriately shocked, but Twelve only felt more irritation, “No shit? How did you just fucking figure that out _now_? And what the FUCK happened to Eleven?”

“Hey,” Sixteen growled, “Just because you have hurt feelings over your missing psycho girlfriend, doesn’t mean you can talk to her like that.” Twelve couldn’t believe it. This little shit was getting in _his_ face now?

He smirked, never taking his eyes off of Sixteen, “Hey Fourteen, you gonna let him stand up for your girl like that? It’s pretty fucking shameless.”

“Twelve –” 

“Fuck you, Twelve –”

“Buy me dinner first, you awkward shit –”

“ENOUGH!”

A sudden jolt of pain tore through Twelve’s head like scissors through cloth. It felt like he was in a crowded room with thousands of voices _screaming_ at him at the same time. “Fuck!” He dropped to his knees, clutching his head in pain, and saw that Fourteen and Sixteen were doing the same.

Fifteen’s eyes cleared, and suddenly, the pain was gone. “Everyone shut the fuck up. This is serious shit, and Thirteen’s not going to like it.”

The mention of Thirteen’s name, and his potential _displeasure_ , brought back the gravity of the situation for everyone, Twelve included. The last time they had pissed off Thirteen, well, Twelve had _died._ Of course, Fourteen had brought him back, but he sure as shit wasn’t about to repeat that experience again.

“We all have doubles of ourselves here, in this world,” Fifteen continued, now that she had their attention, “The visions I was seeing….I thought they were from _our_ Eleven, and they were, up to a certain point. I saw how she died. Eight, _this world’s_ Eight, shot her in the head. The rest of my visions….I thought they were still hers, but they were from this Eleven. The bus depot, Main Street. I thought I kept seeing double ever since we got here, but I’ve been seeing through _their_ eyes as well.” She looked to Twelve, “I thought I saw you at the _library_ , looking at science books and writing about something called _Star Wars_ , but you were right here at the same time. And I knew; it wasn’t you. It was _Mike Wheeler._ ” She turned to Fourteen, “And you…I see a _Lucas Sinclair_ sometimes, with your face. And –”

“Yeah okay, enough exposition,” Who the fuck cared about what any of their names were? Eleven was dead, and Thirteen was going to be fucking pissed. And Twelve knew you couldn’t just piss off Thirteen and get away scot free. “Do any of them have powers? Like us?” He knew Thirteen would want these little shits dead, hell, _Twelve_ wanted them dead, but it would certainly make things harder if they were equally matched. This world’s Eleven still at least had her powers, though she appeared to be an amateur compared to his Eleven.

 “No, I don’t think so,” Fifteen shook her head, “Nothing in my visions leads me to believe they’re anything other than normal. Except for this world’s Eleven, as we saw. But she’s weak, untested.”

“Thirteen is going to want revenge. He’s going to want blood,” Fourteen intoned. “Their blood, all of theirs. And especially Eight’s.”

“So we give it to him. We kill them all, send a message,” Sixteen added. Their rescue mission had just become a kill mission.

“It’s not enough.” Twelve looked up, making eye contact with each of them. “They took something of ours. We take something of theirs.” Thirteen was always up for bloodshed, but Twelve knew what he wanted most would be Eleven back. His most valuable asset. “There still is an Eleven. She’s ours,” _Mine_ , he thought, “And we’re gonna have her.”


	3. Doppelgangland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike stared back at his own smirking face. He was frozen with shock. Everything was the same. Everything. Same height, same build. The same freckles and dark eyes. Except that, despite the easy smile on his double’s face, his every movement promised violence. 
> 
> “Man, I thought I was taller than this,” the stranger with his face laughed. 
> 
> “Let’s get this over with, Twelve,” the one who looked like Lucas said, “Once she realizes we have him, she’ll come.” 
> 
> “I’m not going to let you hurt El,” Mike spat, “I’d die first.” 
> 
> Mike saw himself – no, saw Twelve, laugh. Everything seemed to be a joke to him, including Mike’s life. “That can be arranged.” 
> 
> \-------------------
> 
> ....In which the Upside Down "reflections" of Mike, Lucas, Max, and Dustin come to Hawkins to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Upside Down Party:
> 
> Eleven - Upside Down El. She has the same powers as El (telekinesis), but is more powerful than El, because she’s had more practice and training. Every dark impulse El has, Eleven acts on.
> 
> Twelve - Upside Down Mike. Normal Mike is unathletic, tends to be neurotic and worry a lot, and can come off as awkward and uncool. Twelve has super strength, never gets nervous, and is in general extremely charismatic.
> 
> Thirteen - Upside Down Will. Normal Will has been fairly traumatized by the events depicted in the show. He is also portrayed as the kindest and sweetest of the group, if not the most timid. Thirteen is the most fearless and the most ruthless of the lab kids. He is a borderline sociopath and thrives on fear and domination of others. He is the Party’s leader, and they both admire and fear him. He has the ability to control minds (kind of like the Mindflayer did).
> 
> Fourteen - Upside Down Lucas. Normal Lucas can be a bit of a hot-head and has been shown to butt heads on occasion with other Party members. Fourteen is the peacekeeper of the group. He rarely lets emotion get the best of him, to the point of being unfeeling and uncaring. He has the ability to heal himself and others.
> 
> Fifteen – Upside Down Max. She has a powerful psychic connection with each member of the Party. She is able to sense where they are, see through their eyes, track their locations, and know whatever information they do. She has a similar psychic connection to the Party’s Real World counterparts.
> 
> Sixteen – Upside Down Dustin. He has the ability to create and manipulate supersonic sound waves to attack and disorient.
> 
> Based on a fan theory on my tumblr @zerodoubleone  
> https://zerodoubleone.tumblr.com/post/176501361999/the-upside-down-party-picspam-we-all-know-the

_Hey, where are you? Are you okay? Call me. Please._

Mike pressed send. It was maybe the ninth text he’d sent her, with no response. His phone calls went unanswered as well. Something was very wrong. He hadn’t seen El since she’d left to see Kali off at the bus depot, almost immediately after the whole ordeal with El’s double – and he was still processing _that_ whole thing, the entire concept of _doubles_ and _doppelgangers_ and Upside Down versions of themselves. It figured that the moment he was finally home for summer break, the freaky and supernatural in Hawkins would rear its ugly head. Why couldn’t he just get a nice, normal summer with El?

Mike paced around his bedroom, near the breaking point of worry. He had never been the calm and collected type, all his life he’d pretty much been a neurotic mess, _especially_ where his friends were concerned. And this wasn’t even just a friend. This was El.

It was unlike her to be out of contact for this long, to not answer her phone or return his texts. The phone had become their primary means of contact ever since he’d left for college. He had hated leaving her, but she had insisted.

“Mike, you’re not going to throw away your future for me. It’s just a little distance. We’ll be alright,” El had said. “ _I’ll_ be alright,” she added, knowing just what was really on his mind. 

Mike knew that El could take care of herself. He had witnessed it more than enough times. Still, he couldn’t help but worry and feel a certain sense of guilt for leaving her in Hawkins. El was so smart, anyone could see that, and she had caught on so fast in high school, but Brenner’s impact couldn’t be ignored. Colleges and universities had noticed that she’d missed nearly ten years of formal education, and so at the age of 18, they’d had to separate, Mike going off to Northwestern and El staying in town, taking classes at the community college. He hated being away from her, but more than that, he hated what Brenner had taken from her. So many lost opportunities. Her future.

Mike felt himself grow angry. He didn’t know what had happened to her, but he knew that El wouldn’t just stop answering her phone. Not unless something _really_ bad had happened. He was just about to send his 10 th text when the doorbell rang.  

He nearly tripped over his own feet racing down the stairs; he didn’t want to miss whoever was at the door. His mind raced. It could be El – or, what if it was the police? Come to tell him some terrible news –

“Dustin? Lucas?” Mike squinted at the sight of the two of them, confused. They were both standing in the shadows, just out of reach of the light. “What’s going on? Why are you guys standing all the way back there?”

They stepped closer then, moving fully into the light, looking different than he’d remembered, something about them slightly…off.

Mike felt guilty. He hadn’t seen either of them since arriving back in town, the whole ordeal with that other _Eleven_ having consumed his every waking moment since the second that he was back in Hawkins city limits.

“Mike, hey. Are you alone?”

“What? Yeah, why? Have either you heard from El?” Mike thoughts quickly returned to what could have happened to her, “She hasn’t been picking up her phone –”

“We know,” Dustin interrupted, “That’s why we’re here.”

“El sent us to get you,” Lucas continued, “Something…has happened. She has to lay low. She’s not safe.”

“What? Is she okay? What happened?’” Mike stepped out the door, a familiar sense of dread knotting his stomach. It was probably the third time in as many days that he’d feared for her safety. First, she’d disappeared into the Upside Down, and he’d thought she was _dead,_ and then he’d thought he found her, only it wasn’t really _her,_ and now…. “Where IS she?”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lucas placed a hand on his shoulder, as if to steady him, “That’s why we’re here. She wanted us to send for you. We’ll take you to her.” Lucas’s hand moved to his arm and began pulling him forward, away from the door. 

Mike let himself be pulled away from the house, now completely wrapped up in his own panic. The worst that he’d feared was true. El was in trouble. His mind raced with a thousand disturbing thoughts. He had known, ever since that first morning in the blanket fort, when she’d mimed a gun at her head, that El would probably never be truly safe. That she’d always have to fight to survive the demons that didn’t want to let her go. The human ones _and_ the not-so-human ones. And then he remembered another night, when he and El had stood outside the Byers’ porch, the cold air fogging the breath between them. _I can’t lose you again._

He shook his head, trying to calm himself, and noticed his surroundings for the first time. Lucas and Dustin had him flanked on both sides, Lucas’ hand on his shoulder, pushing him almost imperceptibly forward. They had walked into the woods behind Mike’s house, but it wasn’t the way that he usually took to the cabin.

“Guys, where are we going? Are we going to El’s? Because this isn’t the way –”

“Relax, Mike. We’re going another way.”

Something was wrong. Very wrong. “No…no, there’s nothing out this way. Just more woods,” He stopped walking, pushing Lucas’ arm off his shoulder and taking a step back. “What’s going on?”

His friends stopped walking then, too. Lucas turned to Dustin, and Mike watched as his caring demeanor all but melted off, his face becoming blank and emotionless. “Well, I guess this place is as good as any.”

“Lucas, what the _hell_ is going on-” The rest of his words died in his throat as Mike’s eyes shifted from Lucas to something moving in the shadows. Two figures emerged into the moonlight. Max and…

“Hey, _pretty boy_.”

Mike stared back at his own smirking face. He was frozen with shock. Everything was the same. Everything. Same height, same build. The same freckles and dark eyes. Except that, despite the easy smile on his double’s face, his every movement promised violence _._

“Man, I thought I was taller than this,” the stranger with his face laughed.

“Let’s get this over with, Twelve,” the one who looked like Lucas said, “Once she realizes we have him, she’ll come.”

Mike backed away further, before they could circle him. So, this was what that other Eleven had been talking about. This was Twelve.  

“Don’t even think about running off, _Mike,_ ” the one who looked like Max sneered, “I can find you wherever you go. Just come with us. It’ll be easier this way.”

“I’m not going to let you hurt El,” Mike spat, “I’d die first.”

Mike saw himself – no, saw _Twelve,_ laugh. Everything seemed to be a joke to him, including Mike’s life. “That can be arranged.”

_Shit._ If these guys were anything like El’s double had been, and everything so far indicated that they were, then they were evil as hell, and more than capable of extraordinary violence. The bruises around his neck, where El’s double had lifted him like a rag doll and choked off his air, throbbed as if to confirm his thoughts.

Before Mike could make a run for it, Lucas’s and Dustin’s doubles were on him, dragging him towards Twelve and the girl who looked like Max. Mike did his best to fight back, and even though it was obvious that Lucas’s and Dustin’s doubles didn’t come close to the power that Eleven had had, he was still outnumbered, two to one. They pummeled him with their fists, and Mike found himself dropping to the ground, curled up, like the 12-year-old loser he had been, getting his face punched in by Troy and his friends.

Mike was starting to lose consciousness when the legs kicking at his ribs were suddenly gone, and soon after, the fists bashing at his face disappeared, too.

Another pair of hands were on him, and Mike flinched instinctively, putting his arms up to protect himself.

“Mike, _Mike_! Are you okay?”

His eyes opened painfully. Everything was blurry, and it took a moment before his vision could focus on the person hovering over him, “El.”

She nodded, “Come on Mike, get up. You have to get out of here!”

“No,” Mike tried to sit up and was hit by a wave of dizziness that sent him sprawling back to the ground. His head was throbbing and wet, and his ribs hurt every time he inhaled, “Not….not leaving you here.” 

“Yeah, _El_ , let him stay. We just started!” Twelve crooned. “And you brought a friend,” his eyes shifted to Kali, who had appeared beside El. “And it’s _just_ the bitch I wanted to kill. Thanks, babe.”

“Jane, take Mike and go. I can hold them off.”

El knew that wasn’t true. Kali was smart and had a much better grasp on her powers than El ever did, but there were too many of them, and unlike El, Kali couldn’t manipulate any objects physically, could only project hallucinations.

“No Kali, get Mike out of here. Get him to safety for me. Don’t worry about me.”

“Hey,” Twelve grinned wide. He actually looked _excited._ “How about you _both_ stay to get your asses kicked?” Causally, Twelve picked up a boulder the size of a small car, as if it was no heavier than a toy. Not missing a beat, he hurled it towards them, sending it flying through the air with impossible force.

El stepped forward to meet it, throwing her hand up. It stopped in mid-air, suspended between them. A sliver of blood trickled down her nose.

“You should know better than to throw things at me by now,” she glowered, and _pushed_ outward, sending the boulder careening back at him.

Twelve hardly reacted, throwing his arm up indifferently. The rock smashed apart underneath his fist, breaking up harmlessly around him. He chuckled. “What can I say? I just really want your attention, babe.” 

“Enough.”

Lucas’s double stepped forward, “You and your friends are outnumbered and out-powered here. You and Eight come with us now and we’ll let your friend live.”

“Wrong,” Kali’s voice was calm and assured. She wasn’t afraid. “You are the ones who are outnumbered and out-gunned.” Around them, El heard the sounds of dozens of guns locking into place. Living with Hop, it was a sound she recognized well. For the first time, she noticed the men in military fatigues in the shadows around them, their firearms trained on Twelve and his group.

“You are not in the Upside Down anymore. This world no longer tolerates MKUltra or its _creatures_ ,” Kali continued, “A few years ago a swarm of juvenile demogorgens escaped from your world and the Army was set in to take care of things. You think they wouldn’t do so again now?”

“Bullshit. This is just one of her tricks,” Twelve scowled, but El could see that he hesitated. He hadn’t moved an inch. “What are you waiting for?!” He barked at the people who looked like Dustin, Lucas and Max. “Go get them!”   

His friends exchanged glances. They didn’t move.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Twelve was practically screaming now, his voice both furious and desperate. “NOW!” Without waiting for their response, he marched forward himself. His friends hesitated for a split second more, before duty and habit seemed to overtake them, and they followed quickly after.

That’s when the bullets started firing.

El saw them all flinch, throwing their hands up instinctively, as if that would do any good.

“Keep going! It’s all Eight, you dumb fucks! It’s not real!” Twelve screamed in fury. He had thrown his hands up with the rest of them, but when he hadn’t been hit, he continued forward, straight for El.

Mike was still on the ground, just staring at the scene in front of him, mouth agape. Out of everyone there, he was the most vulnerable. No powers, no weapons. She had to keep him safe.

Instinctively, El lifted her fist, raising Twelve high in the air. His feet dangled helplessly, and El tightened her fist, feeling her powers wrap around his throat.  

She was stunned to see that he was actually _smiling_ down at her, “I love it when you choke me babe,” Twelve muttered between stifled gasps.

El blanched, her face growing hot with embarrassment. What was the matter with him? Why wasn’t he scared at all? For just a moment, her concentration slipped, and that was enough.

Suddenly, there were a thousand voices everywhere, in the trees, in her face, in her _head_ , all _screaming_ at her, ripping through her –

El couldn’t maintain her grip on him any longer, and in her pain she lashed out, throwing her hands out blindly, sending her energy in waves everywhere, her head feeling like it was being torn in two –

“Argh!” El clutched at her head, wanting the screams to stop. She couldn’t think, couldn’t see. Her eyes were clenched tightly and she heard a loud _pop!_ next to her ear, and then screaming. They weren’t her screams. The pain was fading…. and in another instant, it was like it had never been, as if it had been a bad dream that her mind had already forgotten.

“What…?” El looked up. The one that looked like Max… _Fifteen_ …was on the ground, bleeding. Dustin and Lucas’s doubles were hovering above her, looking panicked.

“FUCK! They got her! They shot her!” Dustin – no, _Sixteen_ , was shouting up at something in the tree line. El followed his gaze and saw Twelve above them, his feet still dangling in the air and his back pressed against a tree trunk. A huge branch was impaled between his ribs.

“Fuck…” Twelve winced, spitting blood from between his teeth, “Was this really necessary, babe?” It would have been a mortal wound to anyone else, but he broke the branch off with his bare hands and dropped to the ground with a dull thud. “Sixteen…what the fuck do you think you’re doing? Leave her and get Eleven!”

“No way! These guys are real! They shot her! I’m not risking her life for this shit!”

“You stupid little SHIT! We have Fourteen!”

“Not if they get his HEART we don’t –” Another spray of bullets drowned out the rest of Sixteen’s words.

“Shut the FUCK up, Sixteen! Shut the fuck up!” Twelve snarled, spitting up blood.

Sixteen wasn’t listening though. He picked up Fifteen and began to run off, retreating back into the darkness of the woods.

“Get the fuck back here!” Twelve’s face was twisted in fury, but he fell back on his knees, hands clutching at his bloodied stomach.

“Come on, Twelve. We have to go. We have to _go,_ ” Fourteen lifted Twelve up on his feet, half carrying him, half dragging him away.

El watched them all go, retreating back into the woods where Sixteen and Fifteen had fled to. She was still acutely aware of the soldiers around them, of the guns that surrounded them, that had driven off Twelve and the others.

“Kali – is it – is it safe?”

Kali only looked at her, and smirked. The figures in the shadows shimmered and then vanished, like a computer glitch. El frowned in confusion. “But Fifteen – she was bleeding. She was shot!”

Kali lifted up her palms, “I don’t only rely on just my powers. This helps.” She was clutching a small handgun in her right hand. “Now come on. Let’s get you and Mike Wheeler back home.”

 -

“What the fuck is wrong with you? If Thirteen doesn’t kill you I swear to God I will.”

Sixteen didn’t even look up, his eyes never lifting from Fifteen’s limp form, watching over her like a worried mother as Fourteen placed his hands over her wound. He made no reply to Twelve’s provocations.

“Is she healed yet? Jesus! She’s not the only one that needs patching up!” Twelve pressed his hands tighter on his stomach, trying without success to stem the bleeding. Not that it mattered. Even if he lost enough blood and _died_ , which he estimated would likely happen within the hour, Fourteen could still bring him back, _had_ brought him back before, but the pain of the actual dying process was an annoyance that Twelve could live without.

“Be quiet,” Fourteen shushed, his eyes tightly shut in concentration. Fourteen’s hands glowed where he had laid them on Fifteen’s chest, just above her heart. She had long since stopped bleeding, had long since stopped _breathing,_ but that didn’t really matter. Fourteen was more powerful than he looked, more powerful than perhaps any of the rest of them. He had the power to bring back anyone he wanted to from certain death, from _actual_ death, and he was practically un-killable. Practically.  

There was a long moment of absolute stillness. No one in the room, not even Twelve, dared to break Fourteen’s concentration. It had only happened a handful of times, where Twelve had seen Fourteen in action like this, bringing someone back. He had to admit, it was pretty impressive. A blue glow emanated from Fourteen’s palms and into Fifteen’s chest, spreading outward from the wound, enveloping her in a web of azure light.

She gasped. Her eyes popped open, and Fifteen shot straight up, as if someone had doused her in cold water. Fourteen lifted his hands, and where a bloody gap had been in her chest, there was only unbroken porcelain skin, a torn shirt, and dried blood.

“Finally,” Twelve hissed, growing impatient again. This shit _stung,_ and he was actually starting to feel lightheaded. He knew he was losing a lot of blood now. “My turn,” he growled.  

Fourteen walked over to him dutifully, putting his hands over where Twelve had been impaled. This time, it didn’t take as long, probably because unlike Fifteen, Twelve hadn’t actually died, and Twelve watched with mild curiosity as his wound closed up, his skin and insides sewing themselves back together. The blood flow restricted to a trickle, and then to none at all. In just seconds, the wound was gone, and he brushed his hand over smooth unbroken skin once more.

Twelve put a hand on Fourteen’s arm, “Thanks, man.” He liked Fourteen. He was genuinely useful, at least. Unlike some other idiots.

“You shouldn’t have rushed us out of there, Sixteen,” he snarled, “You fucked that all up!”

“What else was I supposed to do? They had us surrounded! They had _guns_. They shot Fifteen!”

“It was all coming from Eight, you dumbass! You let her play you and now they know how to permanently kill Fourteen.” _Not if they get his heart, we don’t –_ Sixteen had squealed, like the little bitch that he was.

Fourteen’s heart was the one organ he couldn’t heal. Twelve thought it was ironic really, since the fucker was as cold-hearted as they came. But if Fourteen sustained a wound to his heart, then he’d die, and there would be no reversing their _own_ deaths then. Everything would become dangerously and disturbingly permanent, and they couldn’t let that happen.

“We don’t have Eleven!” Twelve continued, seething, “We don’t even have Eight or that pathetic little shit that looks like me!”

“Twelve, it’s okay,” Fifteen sounded exhausted, but her voice was calm, “They aren’t going anywhere. I can find them. We can re-group and try again.”

“Try again?” Twelve was pissed, and he had to admit to himself that he was feeling rattled, too. His eyes moved over Fifteen. She had always been pale, but now she looked like a fucking corpse, and just five minutes ago she had actually _been_ one. His own shirt was soaked in blood, and the memory of being flung like a rag doll by Eleven, and the searing hot pain of being forcibly impaled, came back to him.

They had all severely underestimated this world’s Eleven. She may have been untested and inexperienced in all the ways his Eleven wasn’t, but it was clear her powers were capable of matching his old girlfriend’s. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not really trying to get impaled again. She’s too strong.” His mouth curved into a twisted smile then, a new idea coalescing in his mind, turning his anger into something resembling excitement, “No. To beat this girl, you have to love her.”


	4. No More "I Love You's"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MIKE  
> So what – you think you’re just going to walk over there and get her? This is a stupid idea and it’s going to get you killed!
> 
> _El flinches. Mike is the last person she expected to call her stupid. She starts to move past him, reaching for the door._
> 
> MIKE  
> Fine. If you’re going to go, then I’m going with you. I can help.
> 
> EL  
> By doing what? By throwing a candlestick at them?
> 
> MIKE  
> And what are you doing, El? Handing yourself over on a silver platter? How is that any better? This guy got impaled in the ribs and he walked away. I don’t think you get how dangerous and dumb this is -
> 
> EL  
> No, YOU don’t get it. You think by being there you’re helping me? You just put yourself in danger and I don’t have time to look out for you, too!
> 
> _Mike is taken aback._
> 
> El  
> (her voice is a warning)  
> For the last time, Mike. Get out of the way.
> 
> \-------------------
> 
> ....In which the Upside Down "reflections" of Mike, Lucas, Max, and Dustin come to Hawkins to play. [CHAPTER 4 WRITTEN IN SCRIPT FORMAT]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **IMPORTANT: THIS CHAPTER IS WRITTEN IN A SCRIPT FORMAT**...'cause I felt like it. I wanted to try a different new writing method to keep me on my toes and keep me from getting bored with this. This was my first time writing in a screenplay style and I apologize in advance for any wrong formatting and amateur/wrong use of screenwriting conventions. I'm not sure if I'll keep going in this style or return to prose in future chapters. I had fun writing in this format though! Thanks for bearing with me :) 
> 
> The Upside Down Party:
> 
> Eleven - Upside Down El. She has the same powers as El (telekinesis), but is more powerful than El, because she’s had more practice and training. Every dark impulse El has, Eleven acts on.
> 
> Twelve - Upside Down Mike. Normal Mike is unathletic, tends to be neurotic and worry a lot, and can come off as awkward and uncool. Twelve has super strength, never gets nervous, and is in general extremely charismatic.
> 
> Thirteen - Upside Down Will. Normal Will has been fairly traumatized by the events depicted in the show. He is also portrayed as the kindest and sweetest of the group, if not the most timid. Thirteen is the most fearless and the most ruthless of the lab kids. He is a borderline sociopath and thrives on fear and domination of others. He is the Party’s leader, and they both admire and fear him. He has the ability to control minds (kind of like the Mindflayer did).
> 
> Fourteen - Upside Down Lucas. Normal Lucas can be a bit of a hot-head and has been shown to butt heads on occasion with other Party members. Fourteen is the peacekeeper of the group. He rarely lets emotion get the best of him, to the point of being unfeeling and uncaring. He has the ability to heal himself and others.
> 
> Fifteen – Upside Down Max. She has a powerful psychic connection with each member of the Party. She is able to sense where they are, see through their eyes, track their locations, and know whatever information they do. She has a similar psychic connection to the Party’s Real World counterparts.
> 
> Sixteen – Upside Down Dustin. He has the ability to create and manipulate supersonic sound waves to attack and disorient.
> 
> Based on a fan theory on my tumblr @zerodoubleone  
> https://zerodoubleone.tumblr.com/post/176501361999/the-upside-down-party-picspam-we-all-know-the

INTERIOR. WHEELER RESIDENCE - MIKE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

 

MIKE sits on the bed, nursing an ice pack on his head. He is bruised and banged up from the encounter with Twelve and gang. This time, EL is the one doing the pacing. 

 

MIKE

What was that about?

 

EL

(distracted)

What?

(beat)

Oh, that was Twelve. I think he’s from the Upside Down, I think they all are –

 

MIKE

(interrupting)

No. I mean, _what_ was that about?

(beat, then:)

Why was he _flirting_ with you?

 

EL

Flirting?

(genuinely confused)

He wasn’t flirting with me.

 

MIKE

He called you “babe.” Like, several times.

And what was that about – wanting your attention?

 

EL

(incredulous)

I don’t know Mike! He tried to _kill_ me, in case you forgot.

 

Mike’s expression softens. He sighs.

 

MIKE

I-I’m sorry, El. It’s just – he sounded so familiar with you.

Like you’ve met before.

 

EL

We have.

 

Mike looks up, a look of both concern and jealousy returning to his face.

 

EL

(continuing)

This morning. He…somehow he found me

while I was headed down Main, to your house, to

warn you. He cornered me and he was _so strong –_

and he kept calling me Eleven. Like he knew me.

 

MIKE

What do you mean “like he knew you”?

 

EL

(nodding)

Yes. I think…he thought I was that other Eleven.

I think they were _together._

 

Mike rolls his eyes, putting the ice pack back on his head. He is sore and in pain, and on top of that tired of the whole ordeal.

 

MIKE

(muttering, exasperated)

Of course they were.

 

El stops and looks over Mike. He looks worse for the wear. Bruised and in pain. She blanches, feeling guilty.

 

EL

Mike, are you okay? Do you need to go see a doctor?

 

MIKE

I’m fine.

(playing it off)

 I mean, you’d think I’d be used to getting beat up by now, right?

 

El flinches. Try as he might to conceal it, there is bitterness in his voice.

 

EL

Mike….

 

She steps in front of him, bending down and reaching a hand to his cheek. It accidentally brushes over his neck first though, where the skin is still bruised a deep purple, where the other Eleven had strangled him. He instinctively flinches and recoils from her touch, abruptly getting up and walking past her. El notices and pulls back, looking a little crestfallen. He’s afraid of her, whether he admits it or not.

 

MIKE

(dismissively)

It’s nothing. Really.

 

El knows this is a lie, but says nothing.

 

MIKE  
(continuing, half to himself)

I just wish….I just wish I could take this all away from you.

What happened to you at the lab, Brenner and demogorgens

and Mindflayers, having to deal with fucking monsters

from another dimension every year, your powers…. _everything_.

 

El hears that. _Her powers_ he says. Everything.

 

EL

Everything?

 

MIKE

(oblivious)

Yeah, everything.

(beat)

I don’t know…sometimes I just wish we could be _normal._

That I could just be a normal college junior and you could just be

my normal high school sweetheart. I wish I could give that to you.

 

EL

I’ll never be normal.

 

Mike stops pacing. El looks sad. Mike thinks it’s because of what she said, that she’ll never be normal. El is actually processing the thought that Mike wants her to be normal so badly – _does he accept her for who she truly is?_ she wonders, or does he actually just want her to be like any other girl?

 

MIKE

You’re normal to me.

(he rests his forehead against hers)

You’re my normal.

 

El is far from comforted. There is doubt in her eyes, which Mike does not notice. He catches the look in her eyes and thinks it’s fear.

 

MIKE

Hey, it’s okay. It’ll be okay. We’ll get through this.

Demogorgens, Mindflayers, bring it on, we’ve been through this shit before.

I won’t let anything happen to you. Not again.

 

El nods, unsure what to say. _I won’t let anything happen to you?_ It had been more like the other way around. She has had to keep _him_ safe, always. She lets him take her in his arms though. The camera pans off of El, her eyes full of doubt and worry as she rests her head on Mike’s shoulder.

 

EXTERIOR. HAWKINS – THE WOODS – DAY

 

THE UPSIDE DOWN PARTY are all gathered in a remote location of the woods. Twelve and Fifteen are completely healed, indistinguishable from how they were before the confrontation with El, Kali and Mike.

 

TWELVE

Why does it seem like we’re always in the fucking woods?

 

FOURTEEN

 (flatly)

Because this is where he told us to be.

 

Twelve scowls but nods. They all know who _he_ is. The rest of the Party turn to Fifteen, who stands stiffly, looking upwards at nothing, her eyes wide and completely white. No pupils, no irises, just a cloudy fog of white, unblinking.

 

FIFTEEN

He’ll be here soon. I can feel him, I can – _ah!_

 

Fifteen gasps in pain. Her eyes flash and suddenly they go from white to pitch black. A void.

 

THIRTEEN

(using FIFTEEN as a conduit)

You don’t have her.

 

The rest of the Party HESITATES, fear on their faces, but not Twelve. He has always been over-confident and brash, stupidly brash.

 

TWELVE

No, we don’t but -

 

THIRTEEN

_No, you don’t._

(beat)

She nearly killed some of you. _Did_ kill one of you.

 

SIXTEEN

Yeah, but that’s what Fourteen’s for. He brought her back, good as new.

 

As soon as Sixteen speaks up, Thirteen, still using Fifteen as a conduit, turns her pitch-black gaze on him. Sixteen is frightened, but trying not to let it show.

 

THIRTEEN

I know. He’s been very useful.

(beat, to Sixteen)

Do you know what _you_ are?

 

There is a long pause, and all is still. No one dares to answer, least of all Sixteen.

 

TWELVE

Not useful.

 

Sixteen – and everyone else – has about a split second to register the fact that Twelve’s eyes have gone PITCH-BLACK, just as Fifteen’s were, before Twelve is on him, beating him over and over again, right into the ground. The camera stays on Twelve’s face, his eyes black, his expression blank, blood splattering on his hands, his clothes, his face. He is unrelenting and methodical, and as the seconds pass by, we only hear the crunch of bone breaking and the splashing of blood. Sixteen’s blood.

Finally, it ends, and the blackness evaporates from Twelve’s eyes as suddenly as it appeared. He stumbles back, as if stunned, processing the scene before him for the first time. We see a brief shot of Sixteen’s body, motionless in the dirt, his head caved into a bloody pulp. Sixteen is dead.

 

THIRTEEN

(returning to FIFTEEN as a conduit)

He talked. And now they know about Fourteen’s _heart problem_.

(not a declaration, but an order:)

No more mistakes.

 

Thirteen, as FIFTEEN, nods at both Fourteen and Twelve.

 

THIRTEEN

Bury him.

(to Fourteen)

And don’t bring him back.

 

And just like that, he’s gone. The blackness recedes from Fifteen’s eyes. She stumbles and catches her breath, getting her bearings. Twelve and Fourteen exchange glances, then look down at what’s left of Sixteen’s body. Off of their worried expressions:

 

BLACK OUT.

 

END OF ACT ONE

 

\-----ACT TWO-----

 

EXTERIOR. WHEELER RESIDENCE – NIGHT – ESTABLISHING

 

INTERIOR. MIKE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

 

EL is packing some of Mike’s clothes into a suitcase. MIKE is pacing. Again.

 

MIKE

I don’t know why you’re doing that, El. I’m not leaving.

 

EL

You have to. It’s not -

 

MIKE

\-- safe. Yeah, I know. Well, if it’s not safe for me,

then it’s not safe for you. You should come with me, at least.

(more to himself than to her)

I wish you would’ve gone to Northwestern with me. Get away from Hawkins.

It was a mistake for Hop to keep you here, so close to that fucking lab

that _tortured_ you and turned you into a –

 

He breaks off, realizing that he was about to say something stupid. El stops packing, looks up at him.

 

EL

Into a – what? Into a what?

 

MIKE

I just meant –

(tone softening)

I just meant they hurt you, El.

 

EL

Yes. They hurt me.

(beat)

They made me who I am. And I can’t run away from who I am.

 

MIKE

No, I refuse to accept that. This isn’t all that you are.

(earnestly)

You are _so_ much more than this. You should have a normal life –

not this monster-of-the-week bullshit here in Hawkins.

 

EL

(getting frustrated)

You keep saying that – _normal_. What is normal?

I can’t _have_ normal, Mike, I’m –

 

They are interrupted by El’s phone, ringing. The screen flashes the name KALI. It’s a FACETIME request. El’s face registers that this is unusual – Kali rarely even texts, but she rushes to answer the call anyway.

 

EL

(to Mike)

Its Kali. I hope she made it to Chicago okay.

(swiping ACCEPT on the phone)

Kali, are you okay –

 

El’s face drops. Instead of Kali’s face on the screen, we see TWELVE’s.

 

TWELVE

Hey cool phone! We haven’t found a working phone in _years_

where we come from and Eight was kind enough to lend me hers….

 

He turns the phone around. KALI comes on the screen. We see that she has a GAG tied over her mouth, is bloodied, and slipping in and out of consciousness. She’s in TROUBLE. Big time.

 

TWELVE

Well, maybe that’s giving you too much credit, Eight.

I did have to do a lot of _convincing_ before she let me borrow her phone.

(beat)

And of course, by convincing, I mean torturing.

 

Mike comes up behind El, his horrified expression matching hers.

 

EL

(shouting, panicked)

Kali! Kali –

 

TWELVE

Okay… I’ve been getting the sense that you’re _not_

 the sharpest tool in the shed, El, but Kali -

(turning the camera on Kali again)

\-- is a little unconscious right now.

(slowly, as if talking to a child)

That means she can’t talk back to you.

 

The situation with Kali sinking in, El tries to pull herself together.   

 

EL

What do you want?

 

TWELVE

(mockingly romantic)

You, babe. Only you.

(back to being an asshole)

No, but seriously. What we want is _you_ , Eleven.

You want Eight back? _Alive?_ You’ll come to, uh -

(to the Upside Down Party, off-camera)

What’s this guy’s name? Merlin? Merrill? –

(back to El)

Right.  _Merrill’s_ farm. Alone. Do we have a deal?

 

MIKE

You’ve gotta be kidding me, there is no WAY -

 

EL

Yes. Deal.

 

MIKE

What? El, no –

 

TWELVE

It’s a date. See you soon, babe.

Twelve disconnects. No sooner does the phone screen go black then Mike starts in on El, in disbelief.

 

MIKE

You’re not seriously going to do this.

 

EL

I have to.

 

MIKE

No, you don’t.

 

EL

I’m not going to leave her there, Mike. The only reason Kali is there

now is because of _me_ , she came to Hawkins to save _me_. I’m going to get her.

 

MIKE

(incredulous)

How? By _walking into this very obvious trap_? Is that your plan?

 

EL

You don’t understand.

 

El moves towards the door, Mike follows and steps in front of her, blocking her way.

 

MIKE

No! No I _don’t_ understand! Just- wait a minute! You’re not thinking this through.

 

EL  
There’s nothing to think through.

 

MIKE

So what – you think you’re just going to walk over there and get her?

This is a stupid idea and it’s going to get you _killed_!

 

El flinches. Mike is the last person she expected to call her _stupid._ She starts to move past him, reaching for the door.

 

EL

I’m not an idiot, Mike. I know what I’m doing

and I can take care of myself. Now get out of the way.

 

MIKE

Fine. If you’re going to go, then I’m going with you.

 

EL

Five seconds ago, you didn’t want me to go. Now you want to go _with me_?

 

MIKE

Better than you going off by yourself! I can help.

 

EL

By doing what? By throwing a candlestick at them?

 

That was low blow. Both are getting increasingly frustrated by the other.

 

MIKE

And what are you doing, El? Handing yourself over on a silver platter?

 How is that any better? This guy got impaled in the ribs and he _walked away_.

I don’t think you get how dangerous and _dumb_ this is -

 

EL

No, YOU don’t get it. You think by being there you’re helping me?

You just put yourself in danger and I don’t have time to look out for you, too!

 

Mike is taken aback. Then, his face twists in anger. 

 

MIKE

Is that what you think of me? As a liability?

(beat)

God El, why do you have to be so goddamn _stubborn_ all the time?

 

El

(her voice is a warning)

For the last time, Mike. Get out of the way.

 

MIKE

If you think I’m just going to let you walk out of here, you’re crazy.

 

EL

Fine. Have it your way.

 

El jerks her head and a force pushes Mike aside. His bedroom door flies open of its own accord, and El makes her way down the stairs and out of the Wheelers’ front door.

 

MIKE

El, stop –

 

But El isn’t listening. Her mind is made up. She marches out the door with a determined look on her face, Mike following hot on her heels. She swoops her arm and the front door slams shut on him, just before he can exit. El walks away from the Wheeler residence, and we see Mike in the background, growing ever smaller as the camera follows El into the night, as he struggles and fails to open the door, shouting after her. She doesn’t turn around. A thin stream of blood can be seen seeping down El’s nose as she walks away.     

 

BLACK OUT.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate kudos and comments. Thank you for reading :)


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